Knowledge to Rethink Aging in the 21st Century

Canada, like other countries, will experience an unprecedented growth in the number and proportion of older people over the next decade. Within the context of this global aging trend, there has been an ever-shrinking set of care services and resources for the elderly. Canada has a more diverse aging population than it did just a few decades ago. Care of older adults is being carried out in a piecemeal fashion and often without attention to scientific based knowledge pointing to best practices. Older people continue to be treated as second-class citizens, with younger generations ignoring the vital contributions older adults can and do make to society. And older people together with those involved with them – from family members, to professionals, to volunteers – are confronting major challenges with only rudimentary knowledge to guide decision-making and care practices. Knowledge is needed to rethink aging in the 21st century.

In this knowledge hub, you can find effective research that:

Addresses what is unknown about the aging process and identifies significant issues and challenges facing people as they age like elder abuse, economic and legal rights and literacy, and resources for custodial grandparents.

Engage older people, their supporters and caregivers in the research process so that their experiences taken together with evidence informed knowledge can guide the development of interventions, resource tools, supports and evaluation methods that work.

Empower aging people and those that support them with up-to-date knowledge to further their self-care and rights as full participants in society.

Create local and international networks of researchers, collaborators and community partners to disseminate knowledge, facilitate training, and influence practice and policy.

It is time to rethink aging. Follow the links listed in Current Projects to find research that points us in the right direction.